Preview: Bloom Again
by LunaClefairy
Summary: Tentative title. Preview to a possible full story. More than a century after her death, a rebuilt Iris is found and recruited by the Resistance. Ignorant of her previous life, she juggles the role of a support Reploid and her growing feelings for the reawakened Zero. But Neo Arcadia is a constant threat, and even when given a blank slate, it may be hard for love to bloom again...


_December 4, 2124._

_After months of testing and delicate work, I've come to a conclusion: under most circumstances, it is impossible to revive a Reploid once they've deceased. I've worked with dozens of different chips from various models of Reploids, but only one has responded to my treatments: the Repliforce chip._

_After analyzing it, I discovered that this chip belonged to Iris, the twin sister of Colonel, Repliforce's second-in-command. I have no idea how her processing chip managed to survive when her body was annihilated along with the Final Weapon, but I suppose that's just a testament to the quality of Repliforce's engineering._

_However, I cannot call this a complete success. While the processing chip is now fully functional, I could not restore the internal memory. Thus, if rebuilt, Iris would think she was a brand-new Reploid. There are some trace fragments of memory that remain, but in human terms, they're nothing more than brief flashes that will likely only come forth if something triggers them. I suppose I should erase them, but if Iris was stubborn enough to cling to them this long, then I have no business messing with them. It's really too bad… But perhaps this is for the best. After all, her brother's death drove her to Maverick actions back during the Repliforce incident, which resulted in her retirement._

_I can't imagine what was going through Iris' head when she found her brother was killed by Maverick Hunter Zero. Zero and Iris apparently had close feelings for each other, so Iris basically had to choose between her family and her lover. Her decision led to her tragic death at Zero's hands. Zero himself was left emotionally scarred, and though he kept fighting, he was never quite the same afterwards._

_With Zero currently in self-induced stasis, bringing Iris back now would mean little, but I still want to at least give the poor girl a second chance at life. Her death was the result of several tragic mistakes, and while this wouldn't even come close to making up for them, I believe it's still a step in the right direction. And since only her chip has responded to my experiments, I have reason to believe that she has an exceptional will to live, as the alloys in her chip are no different from those of newer-model Reploids. This new project will take time, but I'm determined to help Iris any way I can._

_November 23, 2125._

_I've done it. Iris' new body is finally complete. It's taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, but I've completed my goal. Unfortunately, I cannot release her into the world yet. After all, she died but a few short years ago, and while the Elf Wars have been a major part of recent history, there are still many who remember the Repliforce incident. How would people react when a Reploid who was confirmed deceased was suddenly walking among the living again? There would be mass hysteria, and the relationship between humans and Reploids would deteriorate. No, Iris must wait for a time when the Repliforce incident is but a distant memory._

_I don't have the heart to tell this to her. This means that I will never be able to see her when she finally awakens. I feel bad about that, but ignorance is bliss, as they say. I'd rather Iris wake up to a peaceful world rather than one where she will be shunned and feared._

_I've encased her within a capsule that will constantly monitor her condition, and it will not open until at least seventy years have passed. In addition, my laboratory is underground in a remote location, meaning that she will likely not be disturbed even after the capsule's time limit has expired. Finally, to avoid drawing attention to this place, I must leave and never return. It is time I made way for Neo Arcadia, which has rapidly grown into a utopia since it was established. Alas, I must close this log. I shall miss this lab as well as Iris, but a scientist must always move on to discover new things._

_Finally, I have a message for Iris. I am sorry that I could not be with you or tell you of these matters, but know that I love you like my own child. I wish you every happiness and I hope you help the world find true peace._

* * *

The sound of the lab's door opening drew Iris's attention. To her surprise and relief, Ciel had just entered the room.

"Dr. Ciel! You're back!" Iris exclaimed.

"Iris? What are you doing in here?" Ciel wondered.

"I just thought I'd tidy things up a bit," Iris replied. "But enough about me, how did the mission go? And where's Passy?"

Ciel's cerulean eyes transformed into oceans of sorrow, telling Iris everything she needed to know. She immediately regretted how casually she had asked her questions.

"Dr. Ciel… I―"

"It's all right. You didn't know," said Ciel. "We were discovered by the golems and Pantheons. Every Reploid on the team was slaughtered. While we did manage to find Zero, he was still deep in slumber and his body was badly damaged. With the Pantheons closing in, Passy voluntarily used her power to revive him."

Grief pooled in Iris's core. So many people she knew were now gone forever. But she knew they gave their lives so the rest of them could have hope. Everything now rested with Zero.

"Where's Zero now?"

"He's exploring the base. He has hibernation sickness from staying in stasis for so long, so he doesn't remember much of anything. I wanted to let him at least get familiar with his surroundings before asking anything major of him. He's done enough already protecting me."

Iris hummed thoughtfully, understanding exactly what Zero was going through. She remembered how lost she had felt after she was activated. She didn't know a thing about the world she was thrown into and had been very confused. It was thanks to Ciel and the Resistance Reploids that she was able to get herself together.

"I see. I should be heading back, now. It sounds like you had a rough time, so don't push yourself too far, okay?" With cleaning supplies in hand, Iris bid farewell to Ciel and exited the lab. The next job on her mental to-do list was the laundry. She did really want to meet Zero, but she didn't know exactly where he was in the base. Besides, it had been a while since the medical room's bed sheets had been changed.

Iris quickly busied herself yanking the old sheets off the beds so they could be washed. The washing machines, like most of the things in the Resistance base, were run-down, but still functional. Before long, she was holding a large stack of dry, clean sheets in front of her. She hurried back to the med room, relying on memory thanks to her restricted visibility. She turned a corner into the hall where her destination was at and―

"OOF!"

The next thing she knew, she was on the floor buried in the sheets she had been carrying. She slowly sat back up and rubbed her sore areas as her processing chip whirred in an effort to figure out what had just happened. She felt like she had just walked into a wall, except that she knew there wasn't supposed to be a wall here. After recovering, she opened her mouth in order to apologize for her carelessness, but the words died in her throat as her as she made eye contact with the unfortunate victim of this little incident.

A Reploid unlike any she had seen before was sitting in front of her in much the same position she was in. His primarily black body was protected with crimson and gold armor, including a vest, gauntlets, and boots. A waterfall of blond hair spilled out of the back of his finned helmet and onto the floor like liquid sunshine. His most striking feature, however, was his eyes. Iris felt like she could dive forever into those two sapphire oceans and yet never reach the bottom.

The two Reploids sat there staring at each other for what felt like an eternity, neither one moving or even blinking. At last, Iris's processor resumed functions and two coherent thoughts formed in her head.

The Reploid in front of her was none other than the legendary Maverick Hunter Zero. And she had just crashed into him like a complete idiot.

"Oh-oh my goodness!" she squeaked as she leapt to her feet. "I am so, so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and I… I… I'm sorry! You're not hurt, are you?"

Zero stood up, causing some of the sheets that had fallen on him to drop to the floor. Iris stared at the floor and wrung her hands, feeling his intense gaze on her.

"I'm fine," he said. "What were you doing carrying all those sheets?"

"W-well, um… The med room's bedding hasn't been changed in a couple of months, so I was just bringing clean sheets."

Iris mentally slapped herself. What was wrong with her? She hadn't been this nervous just talking with someone since she first arrived at the Resistance base.

"A-anyways," she continued, forcing herself to make eye contact again. "I'm really sorry for bumping into you, sir. I'd better get back to work."

She bent over and dug through the sheets for a bit before finding her beret, which had fallen off due to the collision. She donned the headwear before quickly folding the sheets and gathering them into her arms. Nearby, she witnessed Zero doing the same thing.

"Sir, you don't have to bother! I've got it handled!" she insisted.

"You shouldn't be carrying around so much that you can't see," Zero chided. Iris shrank a little, but seeing that he wasn't changing his mind, made no further protests. She led Zero to the medical ward, where he helped her make the beds. A few Reploids witnessing this whispered to each other, which only exacerbated Iris's discomfort. She couldn't help but think how weird it was to have Zero doing _housework_. It was unbecoming for someone like him! Still, he had insisted.

"Thanks for the help," Iris said after they finished. "I'll try not to go so overboard with the laundry next time. Um… It's getting late, so I'm going to head back to my room now."

"Wait."

Iris stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Zero again. "What is it?"

"You never told me your name."

Iris's face flushed. "Oh, right, sorry. My name is Iris. Nice to meet you."

"Iris…? I feel like I've heard that name before."

"Huh?! Really? W-well, I'm sure it's just a coincidence, sir. I was only activated two months ago, after all."

Zero's expression turned serious. "Stop that."

"Stop…what, sir?"

"Stop calling me 'sir'. Coming from you, it sounds…strange. Just 'Zero' is fine. Ciel insists that's who I am, after all."

"O-okay then," Iris stammered. "I'll…see you tomorrow, I guess. Good night, Zero." She strolled towards her room, feeling Zero's gaze on her back until she was out of his line of sight. Once at her destination, she collapsed on her bed and sighed heavily. It was only at this point that she realized her core was running about twenty percent faster than usual and that her internal temperature had increased a full half-degree. Puzzled at these changes, she began running self-diagnostics to determine their cause.

Iris's face twisted in confusion at the results. These changes in her body had started when she had been around Zero, and they were even more intense at the time. Perhaps it was due to her extreme nervousness and embarrassment from making a fool of herself in front of the Maverick Hunter. Zero was leagues above the Reploids she was used to seeing, after all. Satisfied with her conclusion, she activated her shutdown sequence. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day.

* * *

**LunaClefairy: *sigh* Sometimes I just HATE plot bunnies. I know everyone's waiting for me to update _Flood_, but my stubborn muse wants nothing to do with it right now. So this is just a snippet of an idea that's been running through my head. I can think of exactly three stories involving Iris in the Mega Man Zero universe, and none of them are very long or very good. I'll just leave this here for you guys to enjoy, and I'll only publish the full story if I get around to finishing it. Sound good?**


End file.
